Flying Bucket Fire in Arizona grows to 4,000 acres

VIDEO: Fire crews continue to battle the Flying Bucket brush fire south of Goodyear near SR-238 and 99th Avenue. According to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the fire has grown to 4,000 acres as of Tuesday evening and is 30% contained. Officials believe the fire might have been caused by a shooting in the area. An investigation is ongoing. Officials say there are no immediate exposures and no reported injuries. According to officials, more resources have been requested and about 100 personnel have been assigned to the fire. Wednesday's hot, dry, and windy conditions could be a concern for firefighters. The area has been turned over to the Bureau of Land Management.
KNXV-TV ABC 15 Phoenix

State of Montana holds 2024 wildfire briefing

Wednesday, Governor Greg Gianforte heard the 2024 fire season briefing. "Whatever the fire season brings, your counties are ready," said Adriane Beck, Montana County Fire Wardens Association DES Coordinator. The briefing included updates from agency administrators and fire management officers on fire season preparedness and agency readiness. "While we can't control the weather, we can take steps to mitigate the risk of severe wildfires by continuing to focus on two things. First, aggressive attack on all fires. And secondly, active forest management," said Gianforte. According to Gianforte, in 2023, 96% of wildfires in the state were kept to 10 acres or less. "The state of Montana and DNRC is ready for the wildfire season," said Amanda Kaster, DNRC Director.
NonStop Local

Texas energy provider puts up AI cameras to help fight fires with wildfire season ahead

VIDEO: The recent rain in Central Texas could actually make our fire risk more dangerous this summer. Both city and county officials said all this wet weather is helping the grass grow, which adds more fuel for fires when the weather is drier. “We get into our summer setting where those grasses stop growing,” Pflugerville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Moellenberg said. “They actually die off if we get into a drought. That becomes a fuel load.” Pano AI cameras are expected to help with quick response times, which is critical for fire departments. An alert will be sent so fire departments can respond to these wildfires faster. Austin Energy is putting 13 of those 360-degree cameras on cell towers throughout Travis County.
KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

Flying Bucket Fire burns 1,000 acres in Arizona

Firefighters were hard at work battling a fast-growing wildfire south of Goodyear on Monday. Early Monday afternoon, crews from the Goodyear Fire Department, City of Maricopa Fire/Medical Department and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were called to the ‘Flying Bucket’ fire near State Route 238 and 99th Avenue, about 15 miles west of Maricopa. The fire had burned roughly 15 acres of light brush and vegetation as of Monday afternoon. However, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Managment, it has grown to approximately 990 acres as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. According to Goodyear Fire officials, additional BLM units are being deployed and water drops are in the process of being set up to help fight the flames. What sparked the fire is unknown, and no injuries have been reported.
KTVK-TV CBS 3 & KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix (AZ Family)

U.S. Forest Service firefighters train in Nevada ahead of expected challenging fire season

VIDEO: U.S. Forest Service firefighters are busy training for the upcoming wildfire season. Up at Cold Creek, the firefighters are doing what is called the “Critical 80.” “That’s the first two weeks of training, talk about different scenarios, conduct hose lay drills and learn how to use tools,” said firefighter Nicholas Rupp. The firefighters work in teams to conduct different exercises such as a mobile attack where they hose down hot spots as a firetruck containing their water supply follows close behind. Brock Eskildsen has been a firefighter for three years. “We love what we do,” he said. In his years with the U.S. Forest Service he has been deployed in Nevada, California and Utah. He says he expects it to be a challenging fire season this year.
KVVU-TV FOX 5 Henderson

Cal Fire encouraging residents to prepare during Wildfire Preparedness Week

May 5 through May 11 is Wildfire Preparedness Week. Cal Fire is reminding residents to work ahead of fire season to prepare for warmer weather. Fire season hasn’t started yet, but the weather has started to warm up. Cal Fire is encouraging residents to get rid of extra yard debris and create a defensible space around their homes. “We want to make sure everybody's prepared,” said Cal Fire public information officer Suzi Brady. “Not just Siskiyou County residents, (but) State of California, Oregon folks, and everybody's prepared for wildfire season.” Brady said besides creating defensible spaces and getting rid of dead and dying plants and debris, residents should also be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice. This means having a go bag ready and knowing evacuation routes including a meeting spot with family and friends.
KDRV-TV ABC 12 Medford

Washington utility to implement strategic power shutoffs to prevent wildfires

Ahead of the wildfire season, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is putting some plans in place to prevent a fire from sparking. PSE is warning customers they could turn off power in some communities during high-risk conditions. Officials said that in the event of extreme weather, they will be using a new Public Safety Power Shutoff tool to prevent power lines from igniting a flame. “If we have critical fire weather approaching, we want to be able to strategically turn the power off ahead of that weather arriving for the safety of communities," said Ryan Murphy, the Director of Electric Operations for PSE. Murphy said they could turn off power to entire communities, but would only do it as a last resort. He told KOMO News they've identified some high-risk wildfire areas, but said this could be used anywhere that’s being threatened.
KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle